UNPA still undecided on n-deal; Left to meet tomorrow

Published: Thursday, July 3, 2008, 20:05 [IST]

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New Delhi, Jul 3 (UNI) The Indo-US nuclear deal today continued to generate much heat across the political spectrum with the United National Progressive still remaining undecided over the accord and the Left Parties agreeing to meet tomorrow to finalise the modalities about their withdrawal of support to the 50-month-old UPA government.

While the UNPA failed to take a categorical stand on the pact, delaying a decision till ''Prime Minister Manmohan Singh further clarifies its doubts'' and has a national debate on the issue, the Left parties will tomorrow decide the modalities about their pullout.

The UNPA, of which the Samajwadi Party (SP) is the main constituent along with the TDP, also said, ''it will not give any certificate to the UPA government before July 6, the day Dr Singh is to leave for the G-8 meeting, which the Left has said might lead to its withdrawal of support to the government.'' UNPA chairperson and SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav told a press conference after what was expected to be a crucial meeting of the Alliance that all its constituents were united on the issue and all speculations about the dissension among them over the nuclear deal were wrong, and at the same time the party did not burn its bridges with the Left unless the latter withdraws its support to the Government.

Despite the UNPA failing to reach any decision, the Congress sounded upbeat, saying that the outcome of the meeting of the Samajwadi Party and others in the UNPA was not negative.

AICC Spokesman Veerappa Moily told mediapersons a few hours after the UNPA leaders completed their meeting that there was no threat to the stability of the 50-month-old Manmohan Singh government (even if the Left parties withdraw its outside support).

Meanwhile, the Marxists will also ask the UPA government tomorrow to apprise them of when the negotiators will approach the Board of Governors of the IAEA to complete its pending business on the deal.

''We will decide tomorrow on when and how the letter of withdrawal of support is to be handed over to the President and also demand of the government that it should inform us about when it is approaching the international body to execute the deal,'' CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan told newspersons.

However, the Red Brigade found 'nothing new' in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's yesterday's clarifications in response to the Samajwadi Party's concerns on the Indo-US nuclear deal and reiterated their three-year-old stated opposition to the nuclear pact.

While CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan said the PMO's statement contained 'nothing new', CPI(M) senior leader Mohammad Salim said,'' It is incorrect to say that the N-deal would not affect India's autonomy on decision making and strategic programme.'' UNI TEAM RL KN1933